A couple of weeks ago I introduced you to my new contemplative garden which I created in response to our October and November theme Gratitude as Guests of the World . Each morning I sit in the dark for a few minutes, reciting the first few verses from John’s gospel. I particularly love The Voice translation.
Before time itself was measured, the Voice was speaking.
The Voice was and is God.
2 This celestial Word remained ever present with the Creator;
3 His speech shaped the entire cosmos.
Immersed in the practice of creating,
all things that exist were birthed in Him.
4 His breath filled all things
with a living, breathing light—
5 A light that thrives in the depths of darkness,
blazes through murky bottoms.
It cannot and will not be quenched. (John 1:1-5)
It is good, this sitting in the dark, alone with God, in the moments before the light of dawn brings everything into focus. My eyes must attune themselves to see and in that seeing the true splendour of God is often revealed.
Next, sitting with a heightened sense of the presence of God around me, I light the candles in my circle of light that surrounds my sacred space. I image that the living, breathing light of Christ lights them with me. Then I focus on my garden for a time of meditation. It too glows with light, a light that shines in, through and around the gifts and blessings of the garden.
Each morning it seems God inspires me with new thoughts, ideas and images, many of which I express in short prayers that I post on Instagram and Facebook. This is a very special time for me and I cherish the thoughts and prayers that result so I brought some of them together in this short meditation video. I hope you enjoy it too.
Perhaps you are also inspired to spend time meditating on scripture in the dark. Start with the verses above. Read them in several translations. Which words or phrases catch your attention? Sit and savour them for a few minutes. Now turn on the lights and read the scripture again. How does your perception change? What is God saying to you through these scriptures today?
As I did this today, I became very aware of the light shining from the candle in the small votive holder into and through the crystal polar bear. It took my breath away. It’s like the living, breathing light of Christ that fills all things and and radiates through all things, I thought. Not surprisingly, another prayer which I have not yet incorporated into a video came to mind:
I start my day in the dark,
Aware that alone I cannot see,
A single step ahead.
All is mystery.
All is hidden and unknown.
Only God’s light illumines the path.
Only Christ’s light shines before me,
Only the Spirit’s light guides me when I stumble.
The darkness is not dark to God.
It glows with the living, breathing light.
That shapes all things,
Surrounds all things,
Shines through all things.
It cannot and will not be quenched.
(c) Christine Sine 2022
We all need the Wholeness of God…this resource includes reflections and activities for coping and thriving during the COVID-19 challenges in search of shalom as well as hope for restoration during and after this period of social distancing.
A contemplative service with music in the spirit of Taize. Carrie Grace Littauer, prayer leader, with music by Kester Limner and Andy Myers.
by Carol Dixon
I was first introduced to St Teresa of Avila (whose saint’s day falls on 15 October) in the 1990s when our church got a new hymnbook ‘Rejoice and Sing’ and one of the new hymns in it had the words attributed to her which I really loved. It began ‘Nothing distress you, nothing affright you, everything passes, God will abide.’ I didn’t realise at the time that it was an English version of the beautiful Taize chant ‘Nada de turbe’.
The thing I really like about the hymn is that the writer Colin Thompson cleverly weaves the words of the first verse into each of the following verses – for example verse 2 says: ‘Lift your mind upward, fair are his mansions, nothing distress you, cast fear away’ and the other verses do the same with the rest of the words. The tune ‘Many mansions’ by Peter Cutt is lovely too and is a reminder of the wonderful reassuring words of Jesus from John’s Gospel Ch 14 verse 2 – ‘In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.’ (You can listen to it on YouTube by typing in ‘Nothing Distress you‘ – played by the organist of St James’s URC, Newcastle, the church I used to work in as Moderator’s Secretary in Northern Synod)
I then discovered that Teresa also wrote the prayer “Christ has no body now but yours. No hands, no feet on earth but yours. Yours are the eyes through which he looks compassion on this world. Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good. Yours are the hands through which he blesses all the world. Yours are the hands, yours are the feet, yours are the eyes, you are his body. Christ has no body now on earth but yours”. I have wrestled with these words for many years, feeling the great weight of responsibility of actively working for Christ in the world. So who was this interesting woman who wrote such comforting and challenging prayers?
According to a Roman Catholic website for young people, Teresa was born in 1515 near Avila in northern Spain, the third of nine children. When she was thirteen, her mother died and her father decided to send her to be educated at the Augustinian convent but after two years she became ill and was sent home. Later she expressed a wish to become a nun but her father refused permission so she secretly left home to join the local Carmelite Convent of the Incarnation, a community of 140 nuns who prayed together and privately each day. Each nun had a set of rooms (a bedroom, a small kitchen, and a guest room), guests could come and go freely and nuns could leave the convent to visit friends and relatives. Some of them even had maids! Teresa made her solemn profession as a Carmelite nun, and for the next twenty years she lived at the convent. But in the busy convent, she found meditation and prayer difficult.
View from the Convent of St Teresa, Avila [ Photo by Wei Hunag on Unsplash]
Her attitude towards God changed in 1555, when she was meditating on the gospels and Christ’s sufferings and wanted to return the love shown by Jesus in her own life, realising that the environment of the convent kept her from a serious life of prayer. She began to dream of a small, poor, and fervent Carmelite monastery where the nuns could support one another in their common love of God. “We need no wings to go in search of Him, but have only to look upon Him present within us,” she wrote. With four companions who shared her views, Teresa founded the Order of Discalced Carmelites (Discalced means “shoeless”). Teresa founded 16 monasteries for women, travelling long journeys by donkey through every kind of terrain and weather. She became known to the people of Spain as “the roving nun.” Teresa had always enjoyed people, and many came to her or wrote to her for her advice. On feast days, she played the tambourine so that the nuns could sing and dance. Teresa wrote several books including The Interior Castle, an imaginary journey into the soul via different ‘rooms’ in a castle, The Way of Perfection, and an autobiography. Her teachings were based on her own lived experience, and were rooted in the Scriptures, especially the Gospels.
St Teresa with her book
My own favourite writings of hers are her prayers. Here are a few of them:
Lord, grant that I may always allow myself to be guided by You,
always follow Your plans, and perfectly accomplish Your Holy Will.
Grant that in all things, great and small,
today and all the days of my life,
I may do whatever You require of me.
Help me respond to the slightest prompting of Your Grace,
so that I may be Your trustworthy instrument for Your honour.
May Your Will be done in time and in eternity by me, in me, and through me.
Lord, you are closer to me than my own breath, nearer to me than my hands and feet.
And a wonderful prayer for those of us growing older:
Lord, You know better than I myself
that I am growing older and will someday be old.
Keep me from the fatal habit of thinking
I must say something on every subject and on every occasion.
Release me from craving to straighten out everybody’s affairs.
Make me thoughtful but not moody; helpful but not bossy.
With my vast store of wisdom, it seems a pity not to use it all;
but You know, Lord, that I want a few friends at the end.
Keep my mind free from the recital of endless details;
give me wings to get to the point.
Seal my lips on my aches and pains;
they are increasing, and love of rehearsing them
is becoming sweeter as the years go by.
I dare not ask for improved memory,
but for a growing humility and a lessening cock-sureness
when my memory seems to clash with the memories of others.
Teach me the glorious lesson that occasionally I may be mistaken.
Keep me reasonably sweet, for a sour old person
is one of the crowning works of the devil.
Give me the ability to see good things in unexpected places
and talents in unexpected people;
and give, O Lord, the grace to tell them so.
As I meditated on her wise words I was inspired to write a poem reflecting on what getting older means to me.
Contemplation
Old lady in a garden, resting,
walking stick at her feet,
watching the ripples
On the tiny waterfall
Glinting in the sun;
gentle breeze wafting the bushes,
delicate as filigree;
fuchsias dancing, roses beaming,
and a small bird rooting on
the gravelled path.
Watching at a distance
as a youngster looking on,
I never thought,
one day it would be me.
The prayer for 15 October in my devotional guide ‘28 days with St Teresa of Avila’ says:
‘What wonders we shall see
If we keep before our eyes our frailty and folly,
And recognise
How unworthy we are
To be the servants of so great a Lord,
Whose marvels are beyond our comprehension’’
St Teresa’s greatest prayer ‘Nada de Turbe’ is said to have arisen after she was meditating on the words of St Paul in Philippians 4: 8 ‘Fix your thoughts on what is true and good and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely, and dwell on the fine, good things in others. Think about all you can praise God for and be glad about.’
My friend Revd. Sheila Hamil wrote a beautiful song based on that Bible passage during lockdown and posted it on YouTube. She also shared her thoughts on how it came to be written in the comments.
Here it is with her blessing.
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by Lilly Lewin
Why I believe in pilgrimage…
Being a pilgrim rather than a tourist.
This means not overplanning your trip or your time.
You won’t see everything and that’s ok. You will get a taste of the place.
Being a pilgrim, not a tourist, means you might choose to do something different from the rest of your group.
Being a Pilgrim means…
Being open to the interruptions and unexpected things.
Maybe the missed train or the late plane opens an unexpected conversation or different scenery.
It might mean going a lot more slowly than you are used to going when you travel.
Giving yourself time to rest, time to ponder, time to explore rather than SEEING ALL the things.
For me, it means staying in a neighborhood, not just where all the Americans usually stay, and taking time to be present in the place.
Spending time in that location, eating at restaurants in the area, and noticing what happens in the normal everyday of a place.
Being a pilgrim means allowing the Holy Spirit to lead.
Paying attention and being attentive to what God wants to show you.
Watching for God surprises along the way.
What do you notice? How is Jesus speaking to you? Through a symbol? A color? A bird or a flower that keeps appearing? The art or the music or the vista?
Being a pilgrim rather than a tourist means searching for the history of a place…taking time to pause in the oldest church in the area or learning about the people who first brought Jesus to that place.
It might mean listening to stories about what God is up to now.
Being a pilgrim is about savoring and being grateful for the gifts God gives you each day on your journey.
I have a sign in my house that says, The Journey is Everything…
I believe in the journey
I believe that the process of traveling is just as powerful as the destination itself.
We learn more by going than by staying at home.
It’s a gift to travel
A gift to explore new places and leave the comforts of home for places unknown, to allow the Holy Spirit to be your guide.
Praying for the Journey
Everyone is on a journey…everyone is
really a pilgrim…
a person on a journey
with a destination …
yet the journey is
just as important as the destination…
how one travels, with whom they travel,
what they discover are key.
What they give, and what they receive
on the journey are all important to the
journey itself.
Jesus was a pilgrim…he knew his purpose
and he understood his destination, but
he spent three years traveling from
place to place, without a home, without
any real possessions, teaching, healing,
giving of himself.
As followers of Jesus…we are called to
be pilgrims in the land.
not the kind that wear black hats and
buckle shoes and come on the Mayflower,
but travelers,
IN the World but NOT OF IT!
Our home is different…our home is
God’s Kingdom…
We are called to be Kingdom people on
this planet living our lives like JESUS while we journey towards
heaven.
Pilgrims, HOBOS for God’s Kingdom.
A HOBO is one who is Homeward Bound…
Bound for heaven but still on the road.
A pilgrim watches for signs of God along the way.
How is God speaking to you?
What images or symbols might Jesus use to get your attention or remind you of his love?
During our pilgrimage to Scotland, pink flowers became a symbol of God’s loving presence.
It started out funny as we chose a random restaurant that we thought might be Asian cuisine due to the decor. But inside, the cuisine was Italian and all the wait staff were wearing kilts!
We had a fun at that restaurant and the pink flowers kept following us. Normally, I am not a fan of the color pink. It’s not a color I use a lot or wear, and not the color of flowers I generally buy or plant. But this year, God grew some pink flowers in my yard just to remind me of God’s loving presence.
A pilgrim watches and pays attention to what Jesus is doing in them and around them.
YOU are on a journey …
a journey of discovery and seeking….
seeking and searching for who you are
and what is your purpose.
God has put this in you and He longs to
show you Himself along the way!
Where do you want to
go with Jesus?
What is He calling you
to experience on the journey with Him?
Where is Jesus inviting you to go?
How do you want to experience more of Jesus in the weeks ahead?
What would that mean?
HOMEWORK: PRACTICE being a Pilgrim in your regular life!
This week, take time to notice how God speaks to you. What does God use to get your attention? Music, clouds, a color, a smell, an animal or bird? What do you notice?
Keep a list everyday of the gifts Jesus gives you. What are the God surprises that happen each day? What are the ways Jesus shows you his love? These can be small or big. Take time to notice and write them down.
MINE FOR TODAY:
GIFTS a good cup of coffee, the rain we so needed, thunderstorm, giving myself permission to be tired, an actual nap, talking on the phone with my sister, taking the long walk with the dog
©lillylewin and freerangeworship.com
OTHER THOUGHTS ON PILGRIMAGE PRACTICE
Listen to me discuss my recent pilgrimage with Christine Sine.
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by Vidhya Chintala, originally posted on Circlewood‘s blog The Ecological Disciple as part of of their Practical Earthkeeping feature, here.
Every time we go on a family walk or hike, Sashi, my husband comments, “Isn’t it amazing how God takes care of all the plants, bushes, insects, and birds here? No one (human) waters or feeds them.” God’s design of landscaping and habitats is sustainable and nurturing for all members of His creation. It is this awesome creativity of our Creator that is our guide to restoring and caring for our Earth, through whatever he has endowed us with—our homes, our family, and our communities. In this article, we will explore a very important and basic member of this habitat that we can welcome into our yards, gardens and communities—the native plants.
What is a Native plant?
A native plant is one that occurs naturally in a region, ecosystem, or habitat, without any human introduction or intervention. They have developed a symbiotic relationship with the other plants and wildlife in the ecosystem, and have adapted to the soil and climate of the region—often over several centuries and millennia. Native plants have come into significant scientific and public attention in recent years, as a means to restoring our soil and water health, and preventing habitat loss for the local wildlife and insects. They are increasingly used in restoration projects after wildfires, floods, or road construction for their ability to regenerate and recover naturally in the area (US Forest Service).
Why Native Plants in our backyard/garden?
The answer to this lies in understanding and accepting that our homes, our yards and our gardens affect our local ecosystems, and form a part of the habitat of the local wildlife. For example, the pesticides and fertilizers we use on our lawns and plants seep through the soil, affecting soil health and quality that sustains the millions of living organisms with in it, which in turn affects the insect population, which ultimately affect the bird and other wildlife of the ecosystem. In addition, the chemicals in the soil get carried into our local waterbodies polluting them, affecting the health of wildlife and those depending on them.
1. Providing a Sustainable and Nurturing Habitat for Local Wildlife
Native plants do not require regular use of fertilizers or pesticides, and in fact have fewer pest issues than exotic or non-native plants. They provide a sustainable source of food and habitat for the local wildlife, insects, and mammals by providing them with nutritious food, shelter, and safe places to raise their young ones. The nectar, pollen, seeds, fruits/berries, and nuts of the native plants are essential to the diet of the local wildlife. Some plants, such as milkweeds, are critical to the survival of Monarch butterflies, which have recently been added to the IUCN endangered list (The International Union for Conservation of Nature). While the adult butterflies can feed on the nectar of various flowers, the larvae feeds only on the leaves of the milkweed plant. And the native species of the milkweed plant have been found to be the most helpful to protect the monarch butterflies.
2. Protecting and Restoring the Ecosystem through Soil and Water Health
Because their deep roots are more tolerant to extreme climatic conditions, native plants require less water, energy, and human effort. I can personally attest to this with my lawn, which is predominantly microclover with a mix of Pacific Northwest native grass. Both this summer and the last we saw some extremely hot days, but we have not had to water or mow more than twice throughout the season. Our lawn not only stayed green throughout but provided a nutritious meal to the visiting honeybees when the microclovers flowered. We haven’t had the need for a fertilizer either, as microclover is a nitrogen fixing plant. It was a win-win on all counts! And this holds true for all the Native plants we have planted in our yard.
Native plants nourish the soil, water, and insect life! Their deep root system not only helps prevent soil-erosion and storm water run-off, but improves the soil by adding organic matter deeper down. This increases carbon sequestration, improves infiltration leading to cleaner water bodies, and benefits many soil organisms and insects. We can never forget that soil is alive, and that this life impacts all the plant, animal and wildlife depending on it through a natural cycle of interdependence.
Where and how do I start?
My family and I started by learning more about the native plants that belonged to our region (the Pacific Northwest), and adding them to our backyard. Local county conservation offices and their websites, native plant nurseries, arboretums, and online websites are all great places to learn and buy native plants. A couple of good places to start would be the USDA plants database and the National Wildlife Federation native plant finder.
NOTE: It is important to make a distinction between open-pollinated, naturally-bred native plants and their hybrid/variegated versions referred to as cultivars. Native plants are cultivated to make them more attractive by changing their leaf color, size, or hardiness to make it more adaptable to the home gardens. But the impact of such varieties on the wildlife is still being researched, and with regards to their ecological benefit, there seems to be more benefits from native plants that belong to the region over their cultivar varieties.
Adding Native plants to our food!
There are several native plants that can be good additions to our garden and our diet. They require less upkeep and effort compared to the seasonal, non-perennial varieties that are grown. Besides their ecological benefits, they are of great cultural value and heritage for Indigenous communities. I have added Huckleberry, Wild Ginger, Ferns, Nodding Onion and Miner’s Lettuce to my PNW yard. And I can attest to their value, as they keep standing beautiful even when all others have faded after their growing season. This is an online place where I learnt more and shopped for native plant foods: Native Foods Nursery.
Reflection Questions: What are some native plants of your region that you particularly like or enjoy? What are some native plants you planted or plan to add to your yard/garden? Please share in the comments section to support and encourage our ecological discipleship community.
Vidhya Chintala lives with her husband and daughter near Seattle, WA. She aspires that as a family, they will seek, learn, and do things within their means to care for people and creation.
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Excerpted with permission from several writings and all photos by David Pott. This is an update on this post: Wanted: Coffin Carriers – Introducing the Lindisfarne Gospels Pilgrimage and more information can be found here: The Lindisfarne Gospels Pilgrimage
September 12-24 2022
This pilgrimage took place at an extraordinary time, following so soon after the death of the Queen. On many occasions we reflected on the similarity of St Cuthbert as a person associated so strongly with the gospels and the Queen herself whose life of service was also influenced so deeply by the gospels.
It was felt that carrying a coffin through the land at this time could easily be misunderstood and provoke negative responses, so the coffin was transported by car and taken out to show at the schools and churches we are visiting. In my email to schools and churches about the changes I wrote: “One of the most compelling reasons for going forward is that people feel the Queen herself would have wanted the pilgrimage to take place. Like St Cuthbert, she was a gospel person whose faith was well known and who always mentioned something about the gospel in her Christmas message.”
Although we did not carry the replica of St Cuthbert’s coffin in public we took it into schools and churches along the route and it was a great privilege that it rested overnight beside St Cuthbert’s tomb at Durham Cathedral on September 14th. It was also in the lovely crypt at Newcastle Cathedral on the night of September 16th.
A major highlight of the journey was that we engaged with 26 schools along the route with something in excess of 3,000 children being able to learn about the coffin and the facsimiles of The Lindisfarne Gospels and St Cuthbert’s Gospel loaned by the North East Religious Resources Centre. Most of the schools also had 12 pupils join us for short stretches of the pilgrimage and the 200 or so who did so were often very moved to be able to carry St Cuthbert’s Gospel in a leather pouch or our Co Durham flag with St Cuthbert’s Cross, both of which came with us every step of the 130-mile journey.
Among the many impacts this journey has had, I was moved by this response from a teacher:
We purposefully picked our pupil premium / disadvantaged pupils so that they would benefit from the outdoor experience. They were fascinated with all the artefacts and loved the experience of walking as a pilgrimage, observing the beauty of the landscape around them and understanding the importance of St. Cuthbert. They were excited and motivated to share their experiences back in school and felt empowered to have had the opportunity. Thanks once again for including us in the pilgrimage, it was a wonderful opportunity for our children and something that we feel will have a lasting impact.
The headteacher of another school wrote this:
Can I say a huge thank you to you and the whole team for allowing us to share a part of your pilgrimage. The children thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience and are now ‘experts’ who will share their journey with their peers. As a man with no faith, I found the whole experience to be truly spiritual and I intend to take more time to walk the route regularly to reflect and re-group.
We were blessed with fine weather and only one day with rain which in no way dampened our spirits! The final day was sunny and cool and featured the famous walk across to Holy Island in bare feet, following the pilgrim posts. The pilgrimage concluded in St Mary’s Church with a memorable concert by the Canadian singer Alana Levandoski and the well-known poet Malcolm Guite who read his poems about St Cuthbert and St Cuthbert’s Gospel, holding the facsimile in his hand.
Malcolm Guite reads his poem about St Cuthbert’s Gospel with facsimile in hand. The facsimile was carried all the way in the specially made leather pouch. Singer Alana Levandoski looks on.
I am so grateful to my fellow pilgrims who managed so well and maintained good unity in what was often a very demanding pilgrimage with so many school and church visits and very little downtime. There are so many others who contributed to making the pilgrimage such a memorable experience including all our very generous hosts, the education team, teachers and pupils and the many who prayed for us throughout the journey. Above all, I am grateful to God for the initial inspiration and for daily strengthening when I so often felt my weakness and the challenge of my deafness. I wrote out some pilgrimage prayer requests in my journal on September 1st and it was wonderful to be able to put a tick against each of those requests!
In the days after the pilgrimage, David put together a slideshow of the journey. It is well worth a look
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Many years ago, when I was a schoolteacher, I met a former pupil on my way home from school, and during the course of our conversation, she asked if I would mind writing a reference for her, for a job she was applying for. She seemed hopeful and excited about her prospects. I was delighted to, as it was such an easy reference to write; she had been one of the sweetest, gentlest, and most thoughtful pupils that I’d ever taught.
However, I found out early one morning, that following week, that she had been killed by a reckless driver. What a waste of a beautiful life, so full of potential. The world’s loss, was heaven’s gain!
I was so saddened by this news, and seeing that I had a free period after our school’s morning assembly, I lingered at the piano I’d been playing, and just sat quietly allowing my fingers to pick out whatever tunes came to mind. shedding tears as I played.
A new melody came to me as I was praying for Pauline and her family, and a clear image of God entered my thoughts. He was holding close to his heart, a precious child, a baby. I knew then that Pauline was safe in His arms. The song became a lullaby, and it gave me such peace of mind, and peace in my soul.
I realised recently I hadn’t yet made a video of this song, so I did, with the help of photographs from the free resource, ‘Unsplash’ and also some family photos.
‘Go to sleep, my little one, rest well in God’s arms,
for you are a child of His, rest in love.
Go to sleep my little one, now that night has come,
morning time will soon be here, rest in peace.
Go to sleep bright shining light, you’ll forever shine.
You will always be my child, God’s and mine.’
Later I found that this song fitted beautifully into nativity plays, where it was sung by ‘Mary’, for her son, as she contemplated the challenges and trials he would have to endure in life, and as she sang it, she held her baby close to her heart.
I’ve now added this video to my Christmas Story collection on Youtube:
I was also thrilled much later, to discover that my daughter sang this to her son each night, and if she ever forgot to sing it, he would remind her, for it brought him peace.
In the turmoil and troubles of our world, peace doesn’t come easily, but if we offer our lives to God each day, asking him to use us for His purposes; we’ll certainly find some measure of peace, knowing we do His will.
Here is a meditation I’ve treasured over the years. It’s meant a great deal to me. It was written by Fiona Castle, wife of the musician and entertainer, Roy Castle, and it sums up the peace we can know in our lives, when we surrender ourselves to God, and rest in him:
“Begin at once; before you venture away from this quiet moment, ask your King to take you wholly into His service, and place all the hours of this day quite simply at his disposal, and ask Him to make and keep you ready to do just exactly as He appoints.
Never mind about tomorrow; one day at a time is enough.
Try it today, and see if it is not a day of strange, almost curious peace, so sweet that you will be only too thankful when tomorrow comes, to ask Him to take it also- till it will become a blessed habit to hold yourself simply and ‘wholly at His command, for any manner of service.
The ‘whatsoever’ is not necessarily active work.
It may be waiting, (whether half an hour or half a lifetime) learning, suffering, sitting still.
But shall we be less ready for these, if any of them are His appointments for today?
Let us ask Him to prepare us, for all that He is preparing for us.”
Image by PublicDomainPictures from Pixabay
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Join Christine Sine and Lilly Lewin for a discussion on Pilgrimage. Wednesday, September 21st at 9 am PT. Happening live in the Godspace Light Community Group on Facebook – but if you can’t catch the live discussion, you can catch up later on YouTube!
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